The FCC released a tentative agenda and draft items for the upcoming August Open Commission Meeting, which will be held at the FCC and streamed online on Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 10:30am – 12:30pm EDT. The FCC plans to consider the following four items:
- A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (draft) in which the FCC proposes to allow Part 15 devices, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and IoT equipment, to communicate directly with FCC-authorized satellites for Direct-to-device (D2D) services. The FCC seeks comment on new mobile-satellite uplink allocations in the 902–928 MHz, 2400–2483.5 MHz, and 5725–5850 MHz bands; downlink operations in the 5725–5850 MHz band; generally retaining existing Part 15 technical limits and operations rules; whether to employ license-by-rule or blanket-licensing frameworks; equipment authorization; interference safeguards; security issues; and additional uses of the spectrum to enable communications within spacecraft, extravehicular activity, links between spacecraft, and control of unintentional satellite emissions.
- A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (draft) in which the FCC seeks comment on a number of proposals affecting the management and operation of the Universal Service Fund (USF). The FCC seeks comment on changes to Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) processes, USAC’s role related to the financial administration of the USF, ways to minimize the costs of USF administration, and changes to its rules concerning how the USAC Board of Directors impacts USF administration.
- A Report and Order (draft) removing the FCC’s 39% national television multiple ownership rule, and replacing the national broadband ownership cap with a case-by-case public-interest review of station acquisitions and license transfers.
- A Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (draft) in which the FCC seeks comment on multiple administrative improvements to the Rural Health Care Program. The FCC seeks comment on how to simplify rural-rate calculations, clarify which services and rural areas are comparable, reduce or replace cost studies, encourage lower-cost backup connectivity, create a formal eligible-services list, establish processing-performance metrics, eliminate advance approval of evergreen contracts, and remove the Healthcare Connect Fund’s annual-report requirement. The Order would allow providers to use qualifying rural rates approved during funding years 2024 through 2026 for funding year 2027, avoiding the need for a cost adjustment.
